Jack O'Lantern
Jack O'Lantern, or simply Jack, is the very first chachaoong and the first King of the Chachaoongs. He is also the one who chose the nine Tals.TAL, Part 1 Season 1: 13 Not very much is known about him except that to all the other chachaoongs, he is like a god who walks among them. His second-in-command is Cheoyong, who helps him with various tasks such as dealing with other chachaoongs who cause trouble. Jack does not seem to intervene much personally—but will do so if the situation calls for it. Appearance Jack appears as a serious young man with long white hair and large grey eyes. He also wears a large black robe covering the lower part of his body. Despite the fact that the rest of the chachaoongs are vastly intimidated by him, his figure is not very imposing. He has a very slight build and, according to the author, stands at only about 5'3" tall. Regardless of his less-than-imposing physical appearance, simply being in his presence is enough to bring most other chachaoongs to their knees, or even render them unconscious. Personality Jack is an extremely mysterious figure. He has only been shown a few times, never smiles, and rarely speaks. He has quite the intense glare and does not seem to have a problem using his presence to intimidate people into submission. Abilities Jack has a large, multi-legged, skeletal beast that seems to stay near him at all times. It is unclear if this beast is his yongma, or something else. It is unclear what powers it may have; so far, it has only been seen sitting, walking, holding a lantern, and materializing two large scrolls containing lists of chachaoong names out of Jack's cloak.TAL, Part 1 Season 2: 36 Jack's powers are still a mystery, however, beyond being the first chachaoong, Jack's ability is the reason he is deified. His presence is so overwhelming that most chachaoongs can barely stand in his presence, much less remain conscious. Further, if Jack calls a chachaoong's name three times, that chachaoong's name is crossed off of a list that Jack's skeletal beast holds, and that chachaoong immediately dies. Because of this ability, Jack effectively holds all the chachaoongs' lives in his hands. Nevertheless, Jack is not as strong as he once was, and it is implied that this is because the first generation is drawing to a close.TAL, Part 1 Season 2: 37 Major Relationships * Cheoyong - He is essentially Jack's second-in-command. He seems to handle most of the work as far as actually watching over and dealing with issues in chachaoong society, and has said that he still can never tell what Jack is thinking, and does not know much about him, despite their years together. Nevertheless, Jack seems to understand Cheoyong's thoughts and feelings very well. * Yu Jin - Though they have only interacted once within the story, it is implied that Jack and Jin may have known each other previous to Yu Jin's current existence. Jack specifically chose Jin to be the next king. Their interactions during their one meeting were ambiguous but it is clear even Jin, in his awakened form, had difficulty withstanding Jack's presence. * Bigak - He is first mentioned (not by name) early in the story, when Cheoyong asks Jack why he keeps him around, complains that he has killed many chachaoongs, and believes that he the reason the second king is behaving the way he is.TAL, Part 1 Season 1: 12 Jack's laws Jack O' Lantern, the first generation king, has set up certain laws that govern the chachaoongs, and are enforced by his second-in-command, Cheoyong. Though these laws are not explicitly listed anywhere, they frequently come up when dealing with the major plot of the webtoon. Because it is one of Cheoyong's responsibilities to ensure that these rules are followed, most chachaoongs are apprehensive about provoking him. However, there are chachaoongs who flagrantly break these laws, particularly the the laws regarding killing others. First Generation Laws 1. Taking a life without a valid reason is forbidden. * Though fights among chachaoongs are extremely common, premeditated murder appears to be explicitly forbidden unless there is a valid cause. * Killing young chachaoongs is an especially heinous crime, as well as an abuse of power. 2. Humans cannot know of the existence of chachaoongs. * Cheoyong (and certain other chachaoongs such as Bigak) have various abilities that can prevent humans from entering an area where chachaoongs are actively using their powers. * Many chachaoongs are capable of erasing memories toward this end, as well. 3. It is permitted to challenge the new king. * Though Cheoyong usually intervenes in fights between chachaoongs, he does allow other chachaoongs to challenge the new king and will not interfere in their fights. 4. Aberrations and flaws within the first generation must be corrected so they do not reoccur. ''' * Twins are one of the known aberrations, and are taboo. Twins among the first generation must be killed by Cheoyong so those same flaws do not occur again during the second generation. * It is unknown what other possible aberrations might exist within the first generation of chachaoongs. '''5. Second generation chachaoongs cannot be born until the second king ascends the throne. * When Jack's power temporarily weakened, a number of second generation chachaoongs were born. However, because Jack is still on the throne, they could not be born properly and it resulted in a number of gruesome deaths of both humans and, presumably, chachaoongs. Plot History Part 1 Season 1 Jack first appears in imagery in the series Prologue. In early episodes, various chachaoongs complain about Jack's choice of a successor, who is now marked by the king's insignia,TAL, Part 1 Season 1: 02''TAL'', Part 1 Season 1: 05 being a "nobody". After Muyeong and Imae's rooftop fight, Cheoyong reports to Jack that the "Second" is unchanged and that he interfered with the fight as requested. He then asks Jack why he keeps around a guy who has killed many chachaoongs, and blames this person for the current behavior of the second king. He finally muses that he knows nothing about Jack despite the years he has served him.TAL, Part 1 Season 1: 12 References